HOSTILE HIBEES WON'T FAZE OUR JAMBO NEWBIES

STEPHEN KINGSLEY has played in enough Easter Road derbies to know that some visiting players can be overawed by the hostile atmosphere.

- BY DARREN JOHNSTONE

But the experienced defender insists there is no chance of the Hearts new boys cowering in today’s televised showdown.

In fact, the 31-year-old reckons any attempts to intimidate the visitors from the stands will only fuel his teammates’ desire to pick up three points.

Kingsley's belief in his colleagues is underscored by Derek McInnes’ side having already won at Celtic Park and Ibrox on their way to a league double over the Old Firm.

The likes of summer recruits Claudio Braga, Alexandros Kyziridis, Alex Schwolow, Tomas Magnussson and Oisin McEntee have all thrived in helping the Jambos open a six-point lead at the top of the table.

And Kingsley has no fears over how the Easter Road debutants will react to the partisan home fans at lunchtime today.

He said: "They'll be made aware of how hostile it can be, how loud it can be and it’s obviously going to be a sellout.

"But I feel like, this season especially, the boys seem to thrive in those situations when you look at the results we've had, so I think it'll excite them.